What It's Like to Do Your Co-op at Rangle

While still in school it can be incredibly difficult to determine what career you're interested in pursuing after graduation. That's why co-op placements are an essential part of deciding what path you want to take or even how you want to pivot your education. At Rangle we're lucky to have a group of co-op students and interns who are hardworking, dedicated, and inspiring to work with. Ranging from software development to marketing, sales and more, we strive to provide exceptional experiences across teams so that all of our co-op students are set up for success.

So what is it actually like to do your co-op at Rangle? Find out straight from the source! We’ve asked three of our co-op students to share their experience of working at Rangle.

What has been your favourite thing about working at Rangle?
The opportunity for professional growth. Rangle has countless ways for you to grow as an employee, such as the different guilds they run on AI, Machine Learning, accessibility and more. I recently expressed an interest in learning more about Scrum, and within a week I was sitting in on meetings and shadowing current Scrum Masters to learn more about their role at Rangle.

What's something you've learned or a skill that you've improved during your time here?
Autonomy. Being a co-op student, you can sometimes feel limited in terms of your contribution since you don't always have an opportunity to be given solo projects. With Rangle, I've had a few of these projects so far this term which has really helped me improve my ability to govern myself and not rely on a supervisor to oversee every step of the project. Being given the freedom to complete a project start-to-finish has not only increased my confidence but has also given me the opportunity to show my team I can be trusted with more complex tasks.

What has surprised you about working at Rangle?
Even though Rangle is no longer a startup, I was surprised to see how collaborative and friendly the environment was. It has a lot of the perks of a tech startup, with the size and projects that you find at larger organizations.

What piece of advice would you give your past self when starting a co-op at Rangle?
Get involved. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Figure out what you like, and then do it. Like I said before, there are so many opportunities for professional and personal growth, so really try to take advantage of them while you're here.

How did you find out about Rangle and why did you want to do your co-op here?
One of the areas that I wanted to develop and improve on was frontend development. In my research, I found Rangle was one of the best companies to learn from because they have some of the most experienced and specialized people in their respective fields.

What's something you've learned or a skill that you've improved during your time here?
The ability to express my ideas openly and see them executed in projects that clients will use. My time at Rangle really improved my ability to feel confident about my thoughts knowing that they'll be listened to and even used when I speak up. From a technical standpoint, I learned about Angular6 which I hadn't worked with in the past and then within my first month at Rangle I started working on building Rangle's new website.

Has working at Rangle changed your career goals?
Definitely. It has made me realize how vast the field of frontend development is and I would definitely love to continue learning more in the future.

How did you find out about Rangle and why did you want to do your internship here?
I found out through my sister who works here and is very proud of Rangle. Once I heard about the marketing and events team, I was really excited and applied to be an intern.

What's something you've learned or a skill that you've improved during your time here?
I've learned more about planning events than I could have in school. While I've learned about working event marketing into an overall marketing strategy, how events can deliver ROI, and planning social and professional events in school, I hadn't truly learned how to plan events at this scale. From planning to implementation, I'm getting closer to understanding what it takes to create an event that people will remember. It's so amazing to see all the work come together and so rewarding to hear how grateful people are for creating amazing experiences. It's interesting because that's what we're all about, aren't we? Creating amazing experiences and things that matter? We don't just do that for clients through innovative web applications, the marketing team does that through informative and helpful content and memorable events.

Has working at Rangle changed your career goals at all?
I think working at Rangle has actually solidified my career goals. I have always wanted to work in marketing, communications, public relations, and wanted to explore event marketing. I always thought my shy personality may not actually fit the demands of the career, but I've realized that's not the case. It's not that I'm shy, it's just that I'm insecure but working at Rangle and being around people that listen to my observations has helped me a lot. Working with people that are so willing to help me grow as a professional is refreshing and I am so grateful.

What piece of advice would you give yourself when starting your internship at Rangle?
Believe in yourself and your abilities. Know that you did learn a lot from school that you will be able to apply to your internship. Don't let rhetoric you learned in school take over your mindset. Be nice and be open!